【正文】 then he kills another with greater difficulty. But a quarter of the best marlin meat is now gone. The old man apologizes to it and decides to defend what is left of him. He waits for the next ones, wishing it might turn out well. Later, he kills a third galano, which has destroyed more of the Marlin, and in the process his knife blade breaks. But the old man still thinks, “I am too old to club sharks to death. But I will try it as long as I have the oars and the short club and tiller.” 12 At the third stage es. Two more sharks appear at sunset. The old man is unable to kill them but injures them with a club made from an old broken oar. He thinks, “If I could have used a bat with two hands I could have killed them surely.” And he asks himself , “What will you do now if they e in the night? What can you do?” He answers, “I will fight them until I die.” 13 At the fourth stage, sharks e in a pack. Santiago fights them with a club and even with the skill?s tiller, but the fight is useless. The sharks have eaten the Marlin up, leaving only a skeleton for him. Santiago?s second battle with the sharks, though shorter in duration, is at least an intense as the fight with the Marlin. It shows Santiago?s courage and endurance in many ways. He has used almost all his strength in fighting with the Marlin and now he has to fight by the limits of his strength. With hardly any strength left, he still holds on to the last moment. Though he knows the fight is useless, he will not give up. Only when he brings the Marlin back to the shore will his fellow fishermen e to realize his value again. It is certain that he is not likely to win in this cruel battle, but he cares little about it. What he really cares in the fight is that he continues to fight and struggle. “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” 14 When he returns with the skeleton of Marlin, he has proved his worth both to himself and his fellow fishermen. He loses but performs like a champion. It helps him earn the deeper respect of people. C. Santiago’s Optimism and Hopefulness 1. Santiago’s Attitude Towards His Fate In the beginning paragraph, Santiago has gone eightyfour days without catching a single fish. He is really in bad luck。 they simply retreat as a way of protection. For example, Captain Henry retreated from the war after he was aware of its meaninglessness and insignificance. Generally speaking, the tough guys under Hemingway at that time lacked goals and were lost strugglers. Secondly, another important feature of the “tough guys” is their loyalty. They are not without strong passions and faith, and such quality makes their character lifelike and reliable, conveying warmth and love to people around. However, such quality is implied rather than displayed in the “tough guys ”. It is not spoken of but performed, not told but suggested. Henry?s loyalty to love, and Santiago?s loyalty and passion to the child Manolin can only be felt through their behaviour and specific actions, while the characters themselves never say a word about it. Such a quality creates an integrated and outstanding individual. Yet the loyalty breaks from mon political or religious beliefs and does not stem from some abstract ideology but es from a sense of belonging and dependence on certain individual groups, personal circles and friendships or from the love for some specific regions. Thirdly, the “tough guys” are endowed with certain specialized skills, such as fishing, bullfighting, and hunting, etc. Such skills are necessary for the internal courage and constraint in the guy. In another sense, a person that is good for nothing is likely to be presented as “weak”or useless, yet the Hemingway?s guy are free from such deficiencies as they possess practical skills. IV. The “Tough Guy” in The Old Man and the Sea A. Santiago’s Determination and Fortitude Santiago is defeated during his fighting against the sharks, but he succeeds in the dignity of handing the failure, confidently he dreams of the strong African lions, which are full of vitality, and symbolize bravery, power and success. Indeed, he has got the favor of the destiny—a big fish appears. This is also the time he realizes himself. It is a great fish. Santiago can not stand virtually to kill him. He gives it the praise and respects continuously. He regards it as his brother. For the fisherman is living on the sea。 knowing that he has no chance against the sharks, he continues the struggle against them. For Santiago, a man who struggles against fate will not be defeated. You can destroy him, but you can never defeat him. This is the essential truth of the “Hemingway code.” And Hemingway defines the theme: the will to challenge and maintain dignity in the face of adversity. Santiago lost the fight against the sharks but he was not afraid. His value lies in the fact that he rose from his failure and regained his confidence. The success alone is meaningless without the initial setback. Santiago obtained more experience and taught them to Manolin. The Marlin he hooked had nothing left but a skeleton, but it won great love and respect for him. To us readers, the relat